Prodigy
Marie Lu
Series: Legend, #2
Genre: YA Dystopian
Publication date: January 29th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile
Publication date: January 29th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile
June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.
It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.
But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?
In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.
*A copy was provided by Penguin Canada for review purposes*
It was great to be reunited with Day and June again after so long. I believe Legend was the very first ARC I ever read, before I even knew what an ARC was (I won it) so it's a bit special to me. I easily found my way back into this story even after so long; a feat in of itself considering my lack of memory (it's scary how much I forget by the time a sequel releases). Prodigy lives up to its predecessor, maybe even surpassing it with the incredible progress in the world development--which was something I was a tad disappointed by in Legend. We finally discover the reason for the current state of this world; we get to understand a lot more of what it now comprises of, both tangibly and politically. In consequence, the plot itself is a little slower paced than Legend, however I doubt this will lead to many complaints seeing as how much more we learn about the complexities of their affairs.
I remember thinking, while reading Legend, that this series was a perfect example of dual POV done right. I still agree with this fact; Day and June are two very different characters, reflected both by their voices and personalities. Switching from one character to the next is painless and never disorienting, nor did I ever lose track of which POV I was currently reading (many dual POVs tend to blend into one another). In this sequel, we observe a lot of character growth in which both Day and June are fighting against deeply rooted indoctrinated beliefs, not knowing who they should trust in this messed up world anymore. This inner turmoil is shown throughout the book, making it it's easy to see and sympathize with their personal struggles. Day and June being separated for a large part of book means there is not a great deal of romance, though in my opinion this was greatly needed for them to be free to find themselves; to figure out where they belong in this broken system.
Assassination and conspiracy rule the plot of this sequel. Despite my mention that it's not especially fast paced, there is plenty of commotion that advances the story. Besides character and world building, the plot takes on intriguing twists and turns, some predictable, but others that took me completely by surprise. Seeing more of the world means we finally visit the Colonies that we're all dying to see. It's only a glimpse, however. Just enough to make us crave for more, yearning to see every inch of this mysterious and talked up place. At least I'm sure we'll get to see more of it in the third book, so it wasn't too big a disappointment.
A sequel worthy of its name, Prodigy not only continues the story of our beloved Day an June, it strengthens and molds it, proving itself to be an essential part of this series.
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| 4 Hot Espressos |
